Corn Paniyaram

Ingredients

Fresh sweet corn : 1 cup
Boiled Rice (Idli Rice) : 2 cups
Red chillies : 8 - 10 nos.
Onion : 1, chopped fine
Curry leaves : a few, chopped fine
Cashew : a few, broken into tiny bits
Ginger : 1" piece, chopped fine
Salt to taste
Oil as required

Method

1. Soak corn, rice and red chillies together in water for about 3 hours and grind to a thick batter.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Add a few corn pellets and mix well.
4. In a 'paniyaram' griddle, heat some oil (if its a non stick griddle then 2-3 drops shd be enough) and pour the batter into the holes. Allow to cook on low heat till golden brown. Then flip it over and let the other side also cook well. If necessary you can add a few more drops of oil.
   
5. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Bread Upma

Ingredients

Bread : 6 slices
Onion : 1/2, finely chopped
Tomato : 1 ripe, finely chopped
Garlic : 4 flakes, chopped
Green chillies : 5, finely chopped
Curry leaves : 4-5
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida : 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cilantro : 2 tbsp
Oil : 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder, asafoetida, chopped green chillies, garlic and onions and saute till golden brown.
2. Add chopped tomato, chilli powder and salt and saute well till tomato is pulpy and cooked. (You can even add vegetables like cauliflower, potato, grated carrot and peas). Add chopped cilantro.
   
3. Chop the bread into small bits and grind to a powder and add to the above mixture.
4. Mix well. Add a little more oil if necessary and mix very well. Turn off heat.
5. Serve hot. Makes a great snack and a quick breakfast too.

Corn Fritters

Ingredients

Corn kernels : 1/2 cup

Green chillies : 10

Cumin seeds : 1 ts

Cilantro : 5 stalks

Ginger : 1" piece

Garlic : 4 flakes

Roasted Bengal Gram (Pottu kadalai) : a handful

Garam masala : 1/4 tsp

Ajinomoto : 1/2 tsp

Maida : 1/4 cup

Rice Flour : 2 tbsp

Corn Flour : 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil to deepfry

Method

1. Grind green chillies, cumin seeds, cilantro, ginger, garlic, roasted bengal gram and garam masala to a fine paste using as little water as possible.
2. Add corn kernels, salt, maida, rice flour, cornflour and ajinomoto and mix very well.
3. Heat oil in a pan and drop dumplings of the mixture into it. Keep heat on medium high and fry until golden brown.
4. Serve hot with tomato ketchup and chilli sauce.

Banana Flower Vada

Ingredients

Banana Flower (Vazhaipoo) : 1
Chana Dal (Kadalai Paruppu) : 1 cup, soaked in water for 1 hr
Cinnamon : 1" piece
Clove : 2
Fennel seeds : 1 tsp
Ginger : 2" piece
Garlic : 1
Red chillies : 8
Onion : 1 small
Curry leaves : 4-5
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Chop onions and curry leaves very fine and keep aside. Chop banana florets very fine and soak in water (this is to avoid it turning black due to oxidation).
2. Drain the water from the chana dal and keep half a handful aside.
3. Take the rest of the chana dal, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, salt and red chillies and grind to a paste with very little water.
4. Add the rest of the chana dal, chopped onion, curry leaves and banana florets and mix well with your hand.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Make small flattened rounds of the mixture and deep fry till golden brown. You can even make them bite size. Make sure the oil is hot enough else the vada will turn out soggy and oily. To check if the oil is ready drop a small piece of the batter in it. If it rises immediately, the oil is ready.
6. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.

Bread Channa

This makes a good evening snack. A sure hit!

Ingredients

White Bread : 6 slices
Channa : 1/4 cup, soaked in water for 6-8 hrs
Onion : 1 big
Tomato : 1 medium
Carrot : 1
Sev : 50 g
Tomato ketchup : 2 tsp
Chilli powder : 1 tsp
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to saute
Ghee : 2 tsp

Method

1. Cut bread into small pieces and keep aside.
2. Pressure cook channa for 5-6 whistles and keep aside.
3. Heat some oil in a pan and add 3/4th of the onion, finely chopped, and saute well.
4. Add finely chopped tomato and saute well.
5. Add grated carrot, chilli powder, salt and tomato ketchup and saute well.
6. Add bread pieces and saute well. Turn off heat.
7. Add sev, remaining chopped onions, coriander leaves and ghee. Mix well and serve.

Chilli Paneer

Ingredients

Paneer : 250g (cut into fingers)
Capsicum : 2 (chopped lengthwise)
Onion : 4 (chopped lengthwise)
Tomato : 1 (seeds removed and chopped lengthwise)
Ginger-Garlic paste : 1 tsp
Tomato sauce : 1 tsp
Chilli sauce : 2 tsp
Soya sauce : 2 tsp
Vinegar : 2 tsp
Red chilli paste : 1 tsp
Salt to taste
White pepper powder : 1/2 tsp
Ajinomoto : 1/4 tsp
Tandoori colour : 1 pinch
Maida : 2 tsp
Arrowroot powder : 1 tsp
Refined oil : 2 tbsp

Method

1. Take oil in a pan. Mix maida, arrowroot powder, tandoori colour, salt and white pepper powder and make a paste of it with 2-3 tsp water.
2. Dip paneer pieces in paste and deep fry. Keep aside.
3. In the remaining oil, add capsicum, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes and saute for 2-3 min.
4. Add red chilli paste, salt, fried paneer pieces, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar and saute for a few min. Serve hot.